Sofia cancelled the 2,000-megawatt Belene project in 2012 after failing to find investors and facing pressure from Washington and Brussels to limit its energy dependence on Russia, which was under contract to build the plant.

The decision allows the company to restart its Ikata No. 3 reactor on Saturday, after the Hiroshima High Court, in late September, lifted an injunction of December 2017 blocking operations of the 890-megawatt reactor

The 1 million-euro (USD 1.2-million), one-megawatt plant is located just a hundred metres (yards) from a giant metal dome sealing the remains of the the nuclear power plant which suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 1986.

Florence is currently a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). On its current track, the storm will hit the coast on Friday with maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph.

Donmez also told broadcaster A Haber that Turkey's first nuclear power plant was expected to come online in 2023. The $20 billion, 4,800 megawatt (MW) plant has been beset by delays since its contract was awarded to Russia in 2010